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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Archives may not be excavation sites
in Egypt, but they are places of wonder in their own right. In an archives, one
can re-live the past and see it in a new light. Archives are also places where history is ripe for rediscovery.

Freer Sackler Library

Though archivists work very hard to
ensure collections are organized and accessible to researchers both physically
and intellectually, there is always work to be done to make discovery possible.
As the new archivist at Freer|Sackler, I have been working through the archival
collections, gathering knowledge on their physical layout and breadth of
content. I realized we had a lot of institutional records scattered throughout
our movable shelving, so, with Archivist David Hogge’s blessing, I reorganized
and consolidated the institutional records so they would be more easily
accessible and understandable. I thought this would be a simple matter of moving of boxes and re-shelving of items,
but in the process I found a pot of gold.

Construction of the Freer

I stumbled upon some really unique
artifacts. I found photos of the Dalai Lama visiting the Freer Sackler and
royalty from Japan, Iran, and Jordan. I also discovered that there is a Charles
Lang Freer Medal. The medal is presented to a scholar who has made a
distinguished contribution to the knowledge and understanding of the history of
Asian Art.

Dalai Lama at the Freer Sackler in 1995.

I found the oral history materials
that have been created over the years including a cassette tape that, yes, the
Archives intends to keep as a solid format backup for
oral histories in the future. You never know, in this world of ever changing
formats what might come in handy. Archivists are strong believers in better
safe than sorry.

The Freer Medal and Mold.

One of the best things about this
profession is that you never know what you are going to find, even in your own
archives. I was doing what seemed to be a routine activity for an archivist (reorganizing
institutional records), and yet I found a treasure trove of materials, history,
and stories. It goes back to the adage of not seeing the forest for the trees.
It was a nice reminder that the Smithsonian is a pretty amazing place to visit,
explore, and work.

This Blog brings Archivists, Museum Specialists, and Librarians around the Smithsonian to write about their new collections, current works in progress or whatever catches their eye. It is our goal to bring our readers collection highlights, unveil hidden collections as they become online, and relate to current events with historical artifacts, art work and research materials from the past.
We encourage conversation, questions, and comments.